Burn Notice is my favorite TV series. Michael has the ability to not only solve one intractable problem after another, he is able to inspire those around him to be more and do more. This call to action by Michael, a natural leadership trait that does not go unnoticed, is driven by his desire to help those around him. Specifically, once he latches on to a client, he goes to the end of the earth to make it right for them.

This is why it is disappointing that Michael decided to save his own skin rather than fight for Victor til the bitter end. I would have rather seen Michael taken prisoner by Carla's boss's team than pull the trigger on his own Client. Even if they find some insane way to bring Victor back, the shine on the Knight that is Michael Weston, has been dulled.

I was really disappointed in this turn of events also. Mike is always the guy who sees another way...another out...no compromising. Not to mention just when Shank's character was getting interesting he's gone. The whole turn of events & everything we found out about Victor in this ep was awesome. I get the guy was on a suicide mission. Nothing really left to live for. He'd accepted that the minute he embarked on his own crusade. Still, I was surprised Mike let him die. They did a great job with it which is why I guess I wound up caring for the character so much in the end.

I wonder if this disappointment in the character is a common theme among fans? I agree that if they did not do such as good job with Victor and character development overall, we would not care as much, but no matter how much angst Michael had about pulling the trigger, his moral compass should have stopped him. If this is really who he is, I do not like him as much as I would have if he would have...

Besides, it would have been great seeing this dual dynamo of a team do a few eps together. Think Michael Jordan and Scottie Pippen.

While I am mourning the loss of Victor, I did not see what Micheal did as losing his moral compass. Victor himself said it "they'll tear me apart" and he was right. Mike and Victor were surrounded not only by Carla's people but by "Management's" as well, if they had gotten their hands on the man (Victor) that had single handly done so much damage to their operation he would have suffered even more. IMHO Mike made not only the right choice, but the only real choice.

What i don't like is how Fiona does ALL of the hard work and Mike takes ALL of the credit! I get that she was a asset in the spy world,but they are not in that world anymore and she does not get paid or even a "thank you".
Hopefully maybe next season the writers will make him realize that he takes her & Sam for granted and that he needs to appreciate them (especially Fi) more .

Well I didn't post to this thread to say I don't like Mike. I love Mike. Jeff was great in the scene. I just do feel it was slightly out of character to let him die. Does it make me dislike him? Not in the least. Am I concerned about his moral compass? Not in the least. Nor do I think he takes Sam & Fi for granted.

That's what I like about Michael. Despite what he has gone through, he has taken the time to help innocent people get back on track. My favorite episode, so far, has to be the bank robbery one, in which he uses his spy skills to keep those innocent workers alive and catching the bad guys at the same time. What Jeffery Donovan does with his character is unbelievable.

I agree. I've seen a number of recaps that have mentioned Michael "ending Victor's suffering". I mean... the guy lost his family. He lost his job. He was running black ops, probably losing his moral conscience and bits and pieces of himself along the way. And then he got shot -- in the gut. He was dead anyway. And if Carla's people had gotten ahold of him, it would've been ugly.

While I certainly didn't enjoy seeing Michael pull the trigger, I understand why he chose to. It wasn't about saving himself, it was about preventing Victor from having to go through that.

The whole point of what Michael does is that he finds a way to solve all client problems. The series has shown that Michael has a clear idea of who is good and who is bad. Sometimes, the bad guy turns into a client -- as in the case of Victor or vice versa -- as is the case in False Flag. Once he marks his client, he feels he has no choice but to put his life on the line for them. In show after show he is at the wrong end of a gun barrel, one twitchy finger away from oblivion. I dig that about him. Why not move the game forward -- let Victor get "rescued" and fight the battle later? This is what he would normally do and we would not have find an excuse for him to justify the awful decision he made. Just think about it, how many times has he hit a dead end, only to take a step back and fight the battle another day? I have not found MW to ever compromise his principles. I also dig that about him.

Don't get me wrong. I still love the show. They do a wonderful job in weaving at least 4 and up to 7 main plot lines together in each episode -- a common trait with shows that have the potential to run for many seasons. Each episode shows growth in each main character. This is not something that is found in most series -- let alone action series that are often very superficial. I just feel that Matt took MW down the wrong path in the finale. I am excited to see what they do in season 3 but the last 5 minutes definitely bothered me

Not here! While Victor was a compelling character--he had gone over the edge--he was a killer--without conscience--maybe because of pain--or loneliness--or Carla--but most definitely a psychopath. Michael did what he had to do--and will carry it with him, always.

Siggy, you are right. Remember the movie, the Wild Geese, when his friend is wounded, played by Richard Harrison,and running after the plane, begs, screams at Richard Burton's character to shoot him, as the African natives, who will do very mean things to him, shoots his dear friend. It's was the lesser of two evils...

Victor was dead, it was only a matter of minutes really. Victor forced Michael to live to fight another day. Michael's hatred of all things Carla and these people ARE NOW INTENSIFIED!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Michael is only human. And guess what? He's still in the spy world. You can take the spy out of the spy world, but you can't take the spy world out of the spy (retired that is).....

Michael is constantly dealing with people in the realm of espioage.........Technical.....

...hence the tearing up from Michael just after he pulled the trigger. You could see the conflict in his eyes even though he knew Victor was right. He had to do it, even if he didn't want to. He knew he was no longer killing an enemy. He had to kill a good man gone bad, even harder to do b/c he understood the reasons why Victor went down a dark path. Also the look on Victors' face when he asked Michael to help him out. I got a 'soldier to soldier' honor on the battlefield thing. Something like being killed by a friend rather than an enemy (I think). Victor chose to go out on his terms, by his rules & Michael was crucial to that. He knew it could be no other way.
Especially poignant was Michael closing Victors' eyes. Those two acted the he** out of that scene. I'm still reeling.
just my 2 cents.
aloha,
Kai

I don't agree at all that Michael was "tarnished" in any way. One of the important elements of the character is the occasional glimpses into the darker side of his life that we get. This was one of those times, as was the decision he had to eliminate Tim Matheson's character earlier in the season.

The secret is in the title. Michael was forced to make a "lesser of two evils" choice, as was Victor. Michael didn't give up or fail Victor, he did what Victor wanted; in fact, by shooting Victor himself, he did it in a more human and brotherly way than just handing Victor a gun and walking away as we'd ordinarily see. I loved the character and wanted to see more of him, but there was no hope for him. He was walking the fine line of sanity, had lost everything that mattered to him, was badly injured and was in a situation he couldn't escape. Michael and Victor were surrounded, and on water, where there was only one route out, and Carla's people were in complete control of it. They had no idea Fiona and Sam were anywhere near where they were. Even if Victor had not been shot, it's unlikely they could have put up much of a fight when they were out numbered and out-armed.

I saw this argument earlier this season related to The Closer, when Brenda had one get away for the first time. There was a great uproar about the writers not getting the character right, about damage to her, and threats from all sorts of folks to never watch the show again. It all struck me as rather absurd. Events such as this humanize a character, and add dimensions to them. This isn't the A-Team or some silly show with cardboard characters. These characters are full-realized three-dimensional characters. They make mistakes and they fail; it's part of what humanizes them, and the show is stronger for it.

I got the same sense, Kai (that they came to consider themselves "brothers in arms").

I felt that Michael took pity on Victor after learning that Carla had had his entire family killed for the sole purpose of recruiting him into the shadowy "black ops" organization. This was the look on Michael's face in that scene --



To me, that look that Michael had on his face was one of understanding and acceptance of how Victor had been so emotionally damaged by all that had happened in his life. It was terribly sad to me.

I thought that Victor proved himself to be a soldier who died with his boots on in the end. He took the steps he did and felt they were justified as he considered himself to be at war with the "management."

I felt such sorrow for Michael, for being caught in the middle of such an awful situation...

A good comparison Technical, that was a really good 'comrads in arms' movie and the scene you described above was a real nail-biter. It showed the depths true friends must deal with in desperate moments.

I think everyone here has really put it in persepective. Mike had no other recourse -- even Victor himself, a fellow professional, did not see it any other way. And as Dramarama said, Mike will live with that decision always. But it was the humain thing to do in a dangerous siuation with no time left on the clock.

I think Mike tried every angle he could think of, he kept negotiating with Carla and was even prepared to die with Victor, if need be, when Carla was getting more panic-sticken as her boss choppered ever closer. If it had not been for Fi and Sam, they would both have died. Victor knew the odds and gave Michael his one and only fighting chance to come away, and hopefully continue the fight for Victor in his absence. But Victor also warned him to get out soon -- he knew that if Mike persues this for too long it will consume him as it did Victor.

Will this make me like Burn Notice less -- No. Will I miss Victor (and Michael Shank's stunning performances), most assuredly, "Yes". Burn Notice will alway be a bright star in a dim universe of TV, but that star will be a wee bit less shiny without "Michael with rabies". Farewell good fellow.

-Mac

Yeah!

AT

Hey, some people aren't over Goose dying in TOP GUN, now 23 years ago. People die. Michael was in a no win situation. Victor was dying, in in essence, he was already dead!!!!

Victor knew, absolutely knew he had to die, since he was already on that path in a matter of minutes anyway, but he gave Mike a chance to live, to fight another day....

THIS IS CALLED DRAMA! I was not happy that Victor lost, and then lost his life. All he had was justice, or the seeking of it, and finding a way hurt these very bad people.

Now, the management says they "weren't putting Mikey under their thumb, but rather protecting him..." interesting..

Remember, Burn Notice is a blend of humor, action and drama..........Remember...........Technical

This season finale will always be one of THE best episodes I've ever seen in any series.

I agree that the writers for BN aren't writing for more Fantasy. They're writing more for reality and everyone knows life isn't always made up of black and white decisions.

MW had to shoot Victor out of mercy - Carla had already told him that if he didn't, she would. And if she had already made that decision, so did Management. After all, in the helicopter later, Management refered to both of them as "rogue operatives." Dispensable assets. There was no other choice, Victor was at a dead end, but he was still thinking ahead of the game when he told MW "We have to have a talk ...". He could see the indecision in MW's head because really, at that time I think MW is considering all the options he has right then including whether or not he can keep Victor alive. Which is why Victor growls at MW, "You KNOW this is the way it has to end."

When I watched the scene from the time MW pulls the trigger and the 5 seconds afterward - I don't even know how he did that. To have to stop yourself dead when you've already shed a tear and act like nothing happened 10 seconds later. It is one of the hardest things to do, to stop crying on the snap of a finger. JD rocks!

I agree Write2B. Sometimes, there are no good choices. The only options are lousy ones. There are no win-win situations and the best you can hope for is not having everything turn into a total train wreck.

Victor was as good as dead and he knew it. It was just a matter of time and with Carla's team surrounding them and management hovering overhead, time was something they didn't have. The only thing Victor could do was decide how to die. He didn't want to spend his last moments being tortured for info by Carla and / or management. Victor had been gut shot with a high powered rifle - those bullets do a lot of internal damage. It would take him a while to die depending on how fast he bled out, and he didn't want to linger in the agony. He wanted to go out quick and clean and if his death could advance Michael's cause then all the better.

Victor was very clear about what he wanted. He asked Michael, soldier to soldier, not to let him suffer. Michael could have ignored Victor's express request. Michael could have turned away, let Victor die slowly. It would have been far easier and far more selfish for Michael to do so. Instead, Michael did the difficult thing - the honorable thing. Michael respected Victor's wishes despite how obviously upsetting it was for him. This will be something that haunts Michael the rest of his life despite being the right thing to do, and Michael knows it.

I don't think Victor's death dimmed Michael's knightly aura at all. In fact, I think it glows just that little bit brighter for it.

I'm not so sure Michael would have shot Victor if Victor had'nt asked him to.Victor was probably short on time anyways,with a horrible wound and no medical attention.Fi and Sam really could'nt have done anything to alter that scenario,"management" had superior firepower on the ground plus air support.They were just as lucky to get out of there.I like how that episode turned out.As soon as Michael jumped out the chopper,i knew next season will be over the top!.....Jack

Michael Westin of course is way better at solving problems than the rest of us--but does he always have to? That would make him nothing but an absurd fantasy. Having him fail (every bloody once in a while) adds a nice dark note of reality to the mix.

The director set it up nicely. Victor's boat one moment was bobbing peacefully, in total isolation--we're all going to Cuba! And the next moment Victor is gut shot out of no where.

Well Done Catsmeow, that a wonderful tribute.

That was a great write up, Catsmeow. I liked the way you talked about what Victor wanted and I love your last line. I could not imagine how that would feel - trained operative or not - to know that the right and honorable thing to do is to kill someone, knowing that person's history, faults, triumphs. MW knew Victor, got to work with Victor, saved Victor, and had to end Victor. When the two were in the cage, and MW tells Victor, "Aren't you the lucky one." Well, he kinda was. He died at the hands of a kinsman, and not at the hands of a foe.

...great pic, PC. you can see the pain, the turmoil, knowing what he has to do while not wanting to do the deed. Great job JD.
Victor/Michael - we liked you too (referencing when Victor told Mike he always liked him). We're gonna miss you, sport.
Again, thanks for posting such a cool picture.
Aloha,
Kai

I have been waiting to post in this topic for so long since I was out of town when the finale aired and I have only been able to do one drive-by post in the last day.

Philippa, I wanted to thank you for that screen shot of Michael's face. I think it says it all. And it is going to be an absolute travesty if (probably when) Jeffrey Donovan doesn't get Emmy consideration. Unfortunately, BN doesn't have the street cred that shows like Mad Men and The Closer have with critics and members of the academy. Hopefully that will change at some point. As viewers, we know how great the show is but it takes academy members a long time to catch up.

I do not believe that Michael's nobility has been tarnished at all. Like others have said, it has only been enhanced by the events in Lesser Evil. Michael saw in Victor what he could become if, as he said to Fi, he lost everyone he cared about. I think it has been a transformative event for him because as someone that has always had to mask his feelings, everything that has happened since he was burned has made him get in touch with emotions that he has sought to hide over the course of his career. It's been very tough on him since he has become a member of a “team” that means much more to him than a collection of “assets.” He has come to realize just how much these people mean to him and in turn they feel the same way about him. It has raised the stakes since it is not just his ass on the line anymore. He is no longer the "carefree spy in the deserts of Afghanistan" that Carla snarked about in the limo.

I also believe that if Victor and Michael had teamed up earlier they had a real shot at bringing down the "machine." Those two would be pretty formidable up against Carla and "management." Of course, for plot enhancement and a theme for next season that wasn't possible. I think it made great television to see Michael blow a case for a "client." Michael can't be superman all the time and he was playing at a great disadvantage since he didn't have all the information he needed nor the time to plan like he does for most clients. As much as I loved Victor (and Michael Shanks) I think Victor's demise will give Michael great incentive to get these guys and will make for some pretty interesting episodes and situations. I am so excited about Season 3 and it was really great to see how many people tuned in for the season finale. I can't wait till BN is back!

Oh, that JD pic I swear I saw a tear...............I just loved MS. His Victor had that evil laugh, but what a sad soul. Great finale.

I agree with you, but also was struck by the fact this is the first client to die (I think that is correct?). I totally expect that the Michael of third season will be a forever changed man because of this. I hope that the writers allow enough time for his feelings - delayed or immediate - to come out in the dialogue and possibly action.

Certainly the title was meant to convey his choice in this matter - at least, that is what it says to me.

May I just add here about Michael shooting victor that there is a code so to speak amongst these complicated individuals Victors life as he knew it was OVER really and HIS job had cost him everything that he had and so many people had sacrificed and I think he knew that he would always be on the run and never a days peace I think what Michael did was honoring that code Only people in those situations understands what the quality of life is and I think they portrayed victor as a man who had given all he had to give and was ready to join his family It reminded me a little of Gladiator when russell crow had a job to finish but was READy to die to SEE his family again I think if te tables were turned Michael would have asked victor to do the dame thing

That makes sense to me, but I still have some friends that believe a hero will never take a life like that.

I think that the voiceover from the previous episode really should make us think, though, because until we are actually in such a situation, and I hope that none of us ever are, there really is no way to understand what goes through a person's head. In a way, it reminds me of Sophie's Choice (the movie), where a character has to make an awful choice. How do you live with it? How do you recover from it (if you can recover?)?